Abstract

When an individual presents for orthodontic treatment, orthodontic records are made that also include demographic information. The orthodontic treatment plan is determined not only from the diagnostic records but also from the relative amounts of growth the orthodontist perceives will take place during treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine if pretreatment biological age, as assessed from cervical vertebral (CV) maturity and/or mandibular canine mineralization, are statistically tied to the amount of growth occurring during treatment, and if so, then if biological age has any predictive merit in anticipating the amounts of growth occurring during treatment. The sample was narrowed from the 1,250 Class II division I records at the Department of Orthodontics, University of Tennessee to 183 individuals, 106 females and 77 males. Pretreatment cervical vertebral grades and canine mineralization stages were analyzed via ANOVA to determine if facial growth occurring over treatment was statistically tied to the pretreatment grade assessed. It was found that as individuals age, less growth occurs during treatment. For all CV stages the growth was highly significant for the stage and sex of the individual. Although pretreatment CV grades were highly significant in terms of growth per stage, tooth mineralization stages were less significant, but did provide clinical applications of whether the individual has reached or passed their growth spurt.

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Revised 06 June 2006